Alligator

The cover's a bit creepy, but the album's still plenty great – old school Cameo still strongly in a funk-based mode, before some of the stiffer grooves of their later years! Bass is the ruler of the set – and most tracks here vamp around in a very heavy P-Funk style of groove – lots of guitar dancing around the rhythms, and plenty of spoken/sung vocals from the whole ensemble – not to mention a heavy dose of keyboards that helps keep things clean and lean! A partyful album if there ever was one – with tracks that include "Soul Army", "Enjoy Your Life", "Flirt", "Secrets Of Time", "I Owe It All To You", and "For You". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent funky work from Lou Donaldson – and a groundbreaking record that was the first to feature him playing on Blue Note with drummer Idris Muhammad – who is listed on the session under his birth name, Leo Morris! Muhammad gives the album that crackling funky bottom sound that instantly defined Lou's later years at Blue Note – a hard and heavy approach to soul jazz that's had incredible repercussions in the world of hip hop, as well as soul and funk. The rest of the group features soul jazz burners Lonnie Smith on organ, Melvin Lastie on trumpet, and George Benson on guitar – and the album includes the highly successful "Alligator Boogaloo", plus hard groovers "The Thang", "Aw Shucks!", and "One Cylinder". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover's a bit creepy, but the album's still plenty great – old school Cameo still strongly in a funk-based mode, before some of the stiffer grooves of their later years! Bass is the ruler of the set – and most tracks here vamp around in a very heavy P-Funk style of groove – lots of guitar dancing around the rhythms, and plenty of spoken/sung vocals from the whole ensemble – not to mention a heavy dose of keyboards that helps keep things clean and lean! A partyful album if there ever was one – with tracks that include "Soul Army", "Enjoy Your Life", "Flirt", "Secrets Of Time", "I Owe It All To You", and "For You". CD

Excellent funky work from Lou Donaldson – and a groundbreaking record that was the first to feature him playing on Blue Note with drummer Idris Muhammad – who is listed on the session under his birth name, Leo Morris! Muhammad gives the album that crackling funky bottom sound that instantly defined Lou's later years at Blue Note – a hard and heavy approach to soul jazz that's had incredible repercussions in the world of hip hop, as well as soul and funk. The rest of the group features soul jazz burners Lonnie Smith on organ, Melvin Lastie on trumpet, and George Benson on guitar – and the album includes the highly successful "Alligator Boogaloo", plus hard groovers "The Thang", "Aw Shucks!", and "One Cylinder". CD

Excellent funky work from Lou Donaldson – and a groundbreaking record that was the first to feature him playing on Blue Note with drummer Idris Muhammad – who is listed on the session under his birth name, Leo Morris! Muhammad gives the album that crackling funky bottom sound that instantly defined Lou's later years at Blue Note – a hard and heavy approach to soul jazz that's had incredible repercussions in the world of hip hop, as well as soul and funk. The rest of the group features soul jazz burners Lonnie Smith on organ, Melvin Lastie on trumpet, and George Benson on guitar – and the album includes the highly successful "Alligator Boogaloo", plus hard groovers "The Thang", "Aw Shucks!", and "One Cylinder". CD

A sweet Italian combo, and one who's got a very classic soul jazz sort of feel – a 60s-styled blend of Hammond and tenor that's mighty nice, and very much in the spirit of the vintage look of the cover! The record's got a great no-nonsense feel – just the right production to fit the group's soaring organ lines and hard-biting saxophone – spun out here over a host of classics from 60s, plus a few tasty originals too. The combo features Fabio Nobile on drums – who you might know from previous work in a more contemporary style – plus Sam Gambarini on Hammond, Alessandro Scala on tenor, and some guest trumpet from Marco Tamburini. Titles include "Bus Ride", "Money In The Pocket", "Fire Eater", "Funkallero", "Mambo In", "This I Dig Of You", and "Alligator Boogaloo". CD

A killer new album from Pucho – and the best one he's done since the early 70s! Unlike some of his weaker recent ones, which try to hard for a "fake funk" feel that just ends up going nowhere, this one plays on Pucho's strong Latin jazz sensibility, and it lets the band get nice and jazzy, with a stone groove that's right in keeping with the excellent Latin work on the Cubop label. The band still includes sax work by the great Eddie Pazant, a masterful player who made Pucho's classic albums work so well – and Pucho himself's wailing away on timbales, while John Spruill delivers some tasty piano lines to keep the rhythm section rolling along. It's great to have Pucho and the group back at a level where they belong – but we wouldn't expect anything less from an artist on the Cubop label! Includes a cover of Lou Donaldson's "Alligator Boogaloo", plus Eddie Harris' "Cold Duck Time", and originals like "Happy Feet Mambo", "Lena's Moods", and "Descarga On Las Palmas". CD

Amazing grooves from a legendary pair of labels – the ultra-funky Perception and Today Records, home of some killer sounds from the New York scene at the start of the 70s! The labels had a great ear for up-and-coming soul – especially with some of the younger groups rising up at the time – and they also used their magic to refresh the sounds of some older artists, particularly jazz musicians, who took on an ultra-funky approach at Perception – one that's made their work for the label some of the most in-demand over the years! Drums are heavy, bass is nice and fuzzy, and many of the cuts have a righteous sound that really takes off from the most progressive soul, funk, and jazz of the late 60s – pushing hard with an even heavier 70s vibe. Titles include "Brother" by Adam Wade & Johnny Pate, "Too Sad To Tell" by Debbie Taylor, "Chitlins & Chuchifritos" by Joe Thomas, "Naturally Good" by Bartel, "You & I" by Black Ivory, "I Can't Get No Higher" by The Eight Minutes, "You Owe It To Yourself" by JJ Barnes, "Get Some Of This" by Madhouse, "Honey Buns" by Bobby Rydell, "Gingele" by Astrud Gilberto, "One Life" by The Albert, "Surrender" by Black Ivory, "Wishful Thinking" by JJ Barnes, "You've Just Been Bitten" by Bartel, "Every Brother Ain't A Brother" by Joe Thomas, "Submission" by Tyrone Washington, "Boogie" by Bartel, "Alligator" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Rock Steady" by Julius Brockington, "Find The One Who Loves You" by The Eight Minutes, "A Possibility" by Wanda Robinson, and "Heritage Hum" by James Moody. CD

Amazing grooves from a legendary pair of labels – the ultra-funky Perception and Today Records, home of some killer sounds from the New York scene at the start of the 70s! The labels had a great ear for up-and-coming soul – especially with some of the younger groups rising up at the time – and they also used their magic to refresh the sounds of some older artists, particularly jazz musicians, who took on an ultra-funky approach at Perception – one that's made their work for the label some of the most in-demand over the years! Drums are heavy, bass is nice and fuzzy, and many of the cuts have a righteous sound that really takes off from the most progressive soul, funk, and jazz of the late 60s – pushing hard with an even heavier 70s vibe. Titles on this second part of the vinyl edition include "Surrender" by Black Ivory, "Wishful Thinking" by JJ Barnes, "You've Just Been Bitten" by Bartel, "Every Brother Ain't A Brother" by Joe Thomas, "Submission" by Tyrone Washington, "Boogie" by Bartel, "Alligator" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Rock Steady" by Julius Brockington, "Find The One Who Loves You" by The Eight Minutes, "A Possibility" by Wanda Robinson, and "Heritage Hum" by James Moody. LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning funk from the great Dizzy Gillespie – light years away from his early bop recordings! The album's a slammin batch of 70s instrumentals – Dizzy's trumpet firmly in the lead over electric backings that have more than a bit of funk in them. The bass is the main driving factor of the tunes – played either by Phil Upchurch or Chuck Rainey – and the tracks bounce along with a fierce and righteous groove that also includes hard riffing on guitar and some sweet piano lines. Players include Mike Longo, James Moody, and Bernard Purdie – and tracks include "N'Bani", "Matrix", "Soul Kiss", "Ding A Ling", and "Alligator". Great stuff, and a crucial album in Dizzy's lost career! Damn funky, too. LP, Vinyl record album

A distinctly roots-oriented effort from Dr. John – and one in which he reprises a number of classic New Orleans R&B tracks, and gives them his unique funky twist. The record features versions of Sugarboy Crawford's "Iko Iko", Huey Smith's "Blow Wind Blow", and other classics like "Mess Around", "Let The Good Times Roll", "Junko Partner", "Tipitina", and "Stack A Lee". The band includes Melvin Lastie, Harold Battiste, Alvin Robinson, and other great southern funk players – and the album's got a nice gatefold cover! LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning funk from the great Dizzy Gillespie – light years away from his early bop recordings! The album's a slammin batch of 70s instrumentals – Dizzy's trumpet firmly in the lead over electric backings that have more than a bit of funk in them. The bass is the main driving factor of the tunes – played either by Phil Upchurch or Chuck Rainey – and the tracks bounce along with a fierce and righteous groove that also includes hard riffing on guitar and some sweet piano lines. Players include Mike Longo, James Moody, and Bernard Purdie – and tracks include "N'Bani", "Matrix", "Soul Kiss", "Ding A Ling", and "Alligator". Great stuff, and a crucial album in Dizzy's lost career! Damn funky, too. LP, Vinyl record album

The standout set from Amanda Lear – a model turned singer, and one of the more striking crossover divas of the disco era! Lear's got previous ties to Salvador Dali and David Bowie, but she keeps things relatively straight ahead on this debut album – using accented vocals that recall an earlier Hildegard Knef singing in English, set to streaming Euro disco grooves that fit very well with the approach. Lear's not nearly the most soulful singer you'll ever hear, but her approach is certainly striking – especially on the album's best tracks. Titles include the classic "I Am A Photograph", plus "Alphabet", "Blood & Honey", "Tomorrow", "Pretty Boys", "Alligator", and "La Bagarre". LP, Vinyl record album

A silly cover, but a heck of a collection – stuffed to the rafters with rare funky 45s, most of them of the messed-up, down-n-dirty variety! There's some nice southern funk and bluesy undercurrents going on in the tracks – not in the vocals, but in the heavy guitars used on the tracks, and the downturning grooves that have a nice down homey feel to them. The set features 20 tracks in all, with plenty of hard-to-find numbers we haven't seen on other collections! Titles include "Party Back" by Zodiac, "Take Me Baby" by Alder Ray Mathis, "Soul Meeting" by Big Jay Bush, "Dog Diggins" by The Dogs, "Original Funky Bell Bottoms" by Ironing Board Sam, "Alligator Strut" by Jay Morton, "Fifth Street" by Mercy Men, "Funky Line" by Fabulous Shalimars, "Watch Yourself" by Al Gardner, "Brok Tit Off In Harlem" by Juan Amelbert, and "Move Out" by Soul Ensemble. CD

The standout set from Amanda Lear – a model turned singer, and one of the more striking crossover divas of the disco era! Lear's got previous ties to Salvador Dali and David Bowie, but she keeps things relatively straight ahead on this debut album – using accented vocals that recall an earlier Hildegard Knef singing in English, set to streaming Euro disco grooves that fit very well with the approach. Lear's not nearly the most soulful singer you'll ever hear, but her approach is certainly striking – especially on the album's best tracks. Titles include the classic "I Am A Photograph", plus "Alphabet", "Blood & Honey", "Tomorrow", "Pretty Boys", "Alligator", and "La Bagarre". CD features the bonus tracks "Queen Of Chinatown", "She's Got The Devil In Her Eyes", "Lethal Leading Lady", and "Blood & Honey (12" version)". CD

Cerrone's second album – a swirling mix of disco beats and strings that follows very clearly on the spirit of his landmark first one! Like that album, this one's got a title track that runs well over 15 minutes long – building in a slowly dancing way that says everything about European disco styles that one track could ever hope to do! Other tunes on the album are shorter and tighter – with soulful vocals dancing in and out, and some nice keyboard work that makes the tunes sparkle with a sweet electric groove. Titles include "Take Me", "Time For Love", and "Cerrone's Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

The fantastic first album by Cerrone – a landmark disco record that features the 16 minute long "Love In C Minor" – a swirling bit of strings, beats, and female voices – one of those tunes that forever went onto change the face of dance music in the 70s! Cerrone really set up a whole new blueprint for club here – stretching things out plenty, and layering in subtle time and chord shifts that expose the proggish influences that filtered into French club as the 70s wore on! The title track's got some nice keyboards by the great Alan Hawkshaw – who sounds even better on the album's cool disco version of "Black Is Black" and the tight snare-beat original, "Midnite Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful package – a very limited set that includes the first three albums from Cerrone, with bonus CD versions as well! First up is Love In C Minor – the fantastic first album by Cerrone – a landmark disco record that features the 16 minute long "Love In C Minor" – a swirling bit of strings, beats, and female voices – one of those tunes that forever went onto change the face of dance music in the 70s! Cerrone really set up a whole new blueprint for club here – stretching things out plenty, and layering in subtle time and chord shifts that expose the proggish influences that filtered into French club as the 70s wore on! The title track's got some nice keyboards by the great Alan Hawkshaw – who sounds even better on the album's cool disco version of "Black Is Black" and the tight snare-beat original, "Midnite Lady". Cerrone's Paradise is Cerrone's second album – a swirling mix of disco beats and strings that follows very clearly on the spirit of his landmark first one! Like that album, this one's got a title track that runs well over 15 minutes long – building in a slowly dancing way that says everything about European disco styles that one track could ever hope to do! Other tunes on the album are shorter and tighter – with soulful vocals dancing in and out, and some nice keyboard work that makes the tunes sparkle with a sweet electric groove. Titles include "Take Me", "Time For Love", and "Cerrone's Paradise". Supernature is the height of French disco – a huge worldwide hit for Cerrone, a nutty bit of space disco that actually holds up pretty darn well over the years! The guy's not really a looker – and the strange "animal operation" cover almost makes this look like a prog rock album – which is where Cerrone probably got his inspiration for the incredible keyboard work on the set – but the record's a killer bit of club that went onto influence generations to come – and is arguably one of Cerrone's best moments ever! Includes the classic "Supernature", a catchy disco groover you'll recognize instantly – plus the tracks "Love Is Here", "Love Is The Answer", and "Sweet Drums". LP, Vinyl record album

Roky Erickson's fantastic early 80s solo material – tracks that were produced by Creedence Clearwater Revival's Stu Cook – with some of the most straight-forward and accessible rockers in Roky's canon, but it's still sporting his trademark eccentricity! Given his mythical personal history, you can easy describe Roky Erickson as "having demons" – but as you'll hear, he's also got two-headed dogs, vampires, zombies, fire demons, ghosts and Lucifer himself – just on this one record! The tracks have an odd release history – having been recorded in the late 70s, but not released until 1980 in the UK on the Five Symbols record, and in '81 as The Evil One LP, with an altered tracklist. This definitive Light In The Attic version gathers up all 15 amazing tracks from the Stu Cook sessions from '77-'79. Includes the legendary "Two Headed Dog" and many more tunes that are just as incredible! Titles include "I Walked With A Zombie", "Night Of The Vampire", "It's A Cold Night For Alligators", "Mine Mine Mind", "I Think Of Demons", "Creature With The Atom Brain", "Bloody Hammer", "Don't Shake Me Lucifer", "If You Have Ghosts" and more. Contains a second disc of the Modern Humas Show from August 20th 1979 KSJO Radio. CD

Some of the best material from Gambian psych funk pioneers Guelewar – a double-length collection, pulled from stellar albums of the late 70s and early 80s! Guelewar's got a really great sound here – one that brilliantly blends heavy, hypnotic rhythms, passionate vocals, swirling guitars and psychedelic organ grooves – all to create really unique vibe, and more than worthy of the legendary fame the group's gotten over the years! You might know Guelewar from their earlier work in the Supreme Eagles and Super Alligators – both great groups who prefaced the material here – infusing regional traditions with western funk, soul, and psych – to create a wicked groove that eventually evolved into the Guelewar sound! Titles include "Sama Yaya Demma N'Darr", "Sunu Makaan", "Ya Mom Samaray", "Njarama", "Tasito", "Wollou", and "Kele Fasane". CD

A mighty great set – three rare soundtracks from dancefloor maestro Cerrone – none of which we ever see on vinyl here in the US! First up is Vice Squad (aka Brigade Mondaine) – a rare soundtrack from the mighty Cerrone – recorded right at the height of his electro disco fame, and with a very similar groove! The film was also titled Vice Squad in the US market – and the music here definitely echoes the sleaze of its subject matter – with loads of sweet clubby lines that are heavy in the keyboard styles you'll know from "Supernature" – but maybe even leaner and meaner here – with a stripped-down punch that makes for plenty of funky disco moments! The tracks are mostly groovers, but even the few mellow moments are great – and titles include "Phonic", "Give Me Love", "Make Up", "The Loft", "Strip Tease", "Experience", and "Deauville". The set follows with two more albums in the Brigade Mondaine series – both similarly groovy, with a wonderful mix of disco grooves and crime/cop soundtrack styles – and all three records come with original album sleeve artwork, and bonus CD versions of the material too! LP, Vinyl record album

The height of French disco – a huge worldwide hit for Cerrone, a nutty bit of space disco that actually holds up pretty darn well over the years! The guy's not really a looker – and the strange "animal operation" cover almost makes this look like a prog rock album – which is where Cerrone probably got his inspiration for the incredible keyboard work on the set – but the record's a killer bit of club that went onto influence generations to come – and is arguably one of Cerrone's best moments ever! Includes the classic "Supernature", a catchy disco groover you'll recognize instantly – plus the tracks "Love Is Here", "Love Is The Answer", and "Sweet Drums". LP, Vinyl record album

Cerrone's definitely got the Golden Touch here – grooving long and strong, with that mix of cosmic club and warmer disco that made his 70s music so great! The album's a masterpiece all the way through – driven by great percussion from the maestro, and swirled up into a heavenly mix at the legendary Trident studios – with some mighty sweet keyboards that really make the whole thing sparkle! There's a nice undercurrent of fuzz at points, too – hinting at French club to come – and the whole thing's a wonderful standard-setting record that really earns all the accolades it's gotten over the years. Titles include the long funky version of "Rocket In The Pocket" – plus "Je Suis Music", "Look For Love", and "Music Of Life". Great new reissue, too – with excellent notes and packaging! CD